Are You Prepared for Battle?
You and I live on a battlefield—and we must be prepared for the fight.
Few people have lived their lives according to that principle as Dr. R.C. Sproul did. It was the privilege of a lifetime to serve with him at Ligonier Ministries beginning in 2004, where I got to see firsthand why he was regarded as a “battlefield theologian.” R.C. understood the holiness of God, and he recognized that the work of God would be opposed at every turn by the world, the flesh, and the devil.
I learned from R.C. that this battle between the Lord and His enemies takes place at every level. R.C., of course, was only pointing us to what the great pastors and teachers in church history have said. We must fight to know the truth and face the challenge every day of pursuing holiness in the home, the school, the church, and the workplace.
The war is intense. We need strength for the battle. We need God’s Word to fuel our discipleship. We need the Holy Spirit to illumine our understanding and enflame our love for Christ more so that we love Him more than we love our sin. We need the means of grace to withstand the impulse to seek our own glory and instead to live for God’s glory alone. The goal, Paul says, is that we would be fruitful disciples (Rom. 7:4), and we can be fruitful disciples only as we know what it means to be faithful.
That is why Ligonier Ministries exists—to support believers and churches on the battlefield as they wage war against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Ligonier provides this support all around the world every single day, producing unique tools for Christian discipleship, allowing one faithful disciple to teach another and then another the timeless truths of Scripture. Your support spreads the doctrines of our holy faith that will strengthen God’s people for the long haul.
R.C. understood better than most that believers will be tempted to compromise, to stop fighting, and to embrace a false peace with the world and a false peace with soul-destroying error in the church. He said, “The Christian life is a life of nonconformity.” But as society grows more hostile to Christianity—and it is growing more hostile every day—the temptation to conform grows.
Particularly at this critical moment, unbelievers need to see that the gospel is a life-transforming reality. People often think that Christianity is a particular political movement, a set of manners, a way to self-improvement. The gospel, as R.C. taught us, has much to say about politics, culture, and other issues, but it is not any of those things. The gospel is the good news that we are reconciled to God by His grace alone through faith in Christ alone, and having been reconciled, we are new creatures in Christ who are renewed in our minds, our affections, and our actions.
When people do not see the life-transforming reality of the gospel in the lives of those who profess to be Christians, they do not see Jesus at all. And more than anything, we want them to see Jesus when they look at us. As we become conformed to Christ, people see Jesus more and more when they look at us. And when they see Jesus, we decrease and He increases.
Ligonier Ministries is committed to helping people grow in the truth of God so that they will better reflect the holiness of Christ. We aim to do what we’ve always done—proclaim the truths of the Bible to help encourage a greater gospel witness around the world.
Your prayers and gifts are vital for enabling us, by God’s grace, to fulfill this mission. Just consider that this year, with the Lord’s help, we will
- help people across the Arab world and Iran access biblical teaching in Arabic and Farsi;
- expand our broadcast library of discipleship resources in Chinese;
- encourage, equip, and train thousands of people at our conferences in Orlando, the Central Valley of California, Seattle, Dallas, and Rome; and
- witness the milestone translation and publication of the Reformation Study Bible into Spanish, which sets the stage for greater ministry throughout Latin America.
People tell us every week that Ligonier’s outreach is so important to them. Just recently, Shelbie, a listener to our internet radio station RefNet, left a review on the App Store. Here’s what she said:
“Can’t say enough about how this app helps me to unwind and remember why I am here and to realize my role in this world, which is to know God and enjoy Him forever, and to love and witness to the lost.”
That is outreach you support. We give thanks to God for you.
And we have a new resource that we have just published to help Christians grow. R.C. went into battle for the truth, but he didn’t go alone. Fighting alongside him so many times was Dr. John MacArthur, a trusted pastor and teacher who continues to boldly proclaim the gospel and call for personal holiness. He is a dear friend of Ligonier, so we partnered with him to produce a special book, Stand Firm. In this book, Dr. MacArthur looks at what it means for the church and the individual Christian to grow in faith and to be the kind of people God calls us to be in this spiritual war. Dr. MacArthur shows us that the Lord has provided everything we need for the battle. We’ll send you a copy when you give a gift of any amount to Ligonier.
Without the generous support of friends such as you, Ligonier’s ability to serve the church would shrink. We must press forward. The battle is raging. Help us help others to stand firm on the gospel and experience the life-transforming reality of the holiness of God.
Thank you for standing with us this month.
Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Offer ends May 31, 2020. Offer valid in U.S. only. Thank you for your support.